Garbage collection under control – M&CC solid waste director

Director of Solid Waste Management at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Walter Narine has assured residents and business proprietors that garbage collection services are under control, even amidst the heightened waste disposal activities that accompany the Christmas season.
In brief interview with this publication, the Solid Waste Director emphasised that strategic measures had been implemented to ensure timely collection and disposal of garbage across the city. This proactive approach was taken to address the usual surge in waste generation during the festive period.
“We have the contractor work in two shifts, morning and afternoon. They remove the refuse that is scattered on the roadside by the vendors and the business owners. So far, we have done successfully Christmas Day. We run back and do a sweep yesterday, which is Boxing Day and today trucks are out already, along the commercial area.”
“The commercial area is basically Constituency Seven and that is Newtown, Central Georgetown, basically Regent Street, Rob Street, Charlotte Street, North Road, King Street, Wellington, all the way up to Regent Street,” Narine shared.
He also noted that additional resources, including manpower and vehicles, were allocated to handle the increased workload during the holiday season. These measures were instrumental in preventing any significant disruptions in waste management services.

“The money that was recently allocated is for the household. Every household receives garbage collection prior to Christmas and after Christmas. Alright, so nobody has delays, everybody’s working fine”.
“The state is not looking that bad but you know, remember, today it’s all first professional working day, so you’re going to have more garbage again this afternoon. But what we have in place is two shifts, morning and afternoon shifts, in the commercial area,” he added.
As the Christmas season winds down, M&CC is shifting its focus to monitoring other areas across the city to maintain cleanliness and sanitation. The Waste Management Department has reassured citizens that they will continue to address any outstanding garbage collection issues promptly.
Approximately two weeks ago, the municipality allocated an additional $8 million for garbage collection in four high-demand constituencies, catering for twice-weekly pickups.

The programme, which began on November 27, will run for eight weeks and will incur an additional $8 million in costs. Guyana Times understands that this is in addition above the $21 million normally spent each month on waste collection.
The four constituencies identified for the increased service are Constituency 8 (which includes Wortmanville, week-en-Rust, and Stabroek); Constituency 10 (Albouystown and Charlestown); Constituency 11 (East and West La Penitence); and Constituency 13 (East and West Ruimveldt).
During a recent press conference held by the Georgetown City Council, Narine had said that an analysis of waste patterns by the council revealed that these areas accumulate more garbage, particularly during the Christmas season.
He also stressed on the fact that the initiative that they would have put in place is data-driven and takes into account population density.
“Based on data we’ve gathered over the years, we’ve recognised that these four constituencies generally generate more waste, especially during the Christmas period, for a number of reasons,” the Director said at the time.
The Council has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing waste management services as it transitions into the New Year, noting that efforts to improve waste management infrastructure and operations remain a top priority for 2025. (G1)